Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits - Softcover

We feel exhausted, but also feel jacked up on adrenaline, caffeine and sugar. We feel frantically busy, but also feel that we're not spending enough time on the things that really matter.' Were truer words ever written? * Arizona Daily Sun * If anyone can help us stop procrastinating, start exercising or get organized, it's Gretchen Rubin. The happiness guru takes a sledgehammer to old-fashioned notions about change. * Parade * I have read all three of her books, and every suggestion I've tried has made me feel better * Irish Times * Rubin...has brought her theory of contentment to the microlevel. * The Irish Times * We are totally comfortable calling Gretchen Rubin's new book, Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives, life-changing. * Better Homes & Gardens * In Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives, Gretchen Rubin picks up where [William] James left off, integrating a wealth of insight from psychology, sociology, and anthropology in an illuminating field guide to harnessing the transformative power of habit in modern life. * Brain Pickings * Grab this now! Better Than Before is essential reading. In this generous and actionable book, Gretchen Rubin helps us make sense of how privilege and opportunity make so many of us unhappy, and shows how basic daily choices can free us to make the most of what we have * Seth Godin, bestselling author of LINCHPIN * With bold and original insights, Gretchen Rubin reveals the hidden truths about how to change our habits-from resisting junk food and hitting the gym to ending procrastination and saving money. Better Than Before is a gem, and the first habit you should form is reading a chapter every night. * Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of GIVE AND TAKE * Gretchen Rubin's superpower is curiosity. Luckily for us, she's turned her passionate inquiry to the topic of making and mastering habits. Weaving together research, unforgettable examples, and her brilliant insight, Better Than Before is a force for real change. It rearranged what I thought I knew about my habits, and I'm better for it. * Brene Brown, New York Times bestselling author of DARING GREATLY and THE GIFT OF IMPERFECTION * Almost everyone wants to be "better" - slimmer, smarter, better looking, more interesting, more productive - and we want to know we're improving, we want the reinforcing evidence. Gretchen Rubin's new masterpiece, Better than Before, shows us how. She shows how to turn vicious cycles into virtuous cycles and how to turn ruts into roads less traveled. The key is in starting and supporting the habits that will turn us into who we want to be. Unlike other books on habits, Rubin's book gives us the specific tools and a blueprint for getting back on track - the fast track. * Brian Wansink, PhD. author of SLIM BY DESIGN * Is there a habit in your life you'd like to change? If so, here's your first step: read this book. It's loaded with practical, everyday tips and techniques that will guide you to success. * Dan Heath, co-author of bestsellers MADE TO STICK, SWITCH and DECISIVE * Gretchen Rubin is a writer after my own heart - seriously brilliant, very warm, and funny. I think she's amazing * Anne Lamott * Gretchen Rubin combines deep research and observations from her own life to explain how habits emerge and - more important - how they can change. It's indispensable for anyone hoping to overhaul how they (almost unthinkingly) behave * Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of THE POWER OF HABIT * truly transformational * Prima Magazine * Filled with insights about our patterns of behavior, Better Than Before addresses one of life's big and timeless questions: how can we transform ourselves? In a way that's thought-provoking, surprising and often funny, Gretchen Rubin provides us with the tools to build a life that truly reflects our goals and values. * Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post and bestselling author of THRIVE * Do you have a bad habit you're trying to shake, or a good one you wish you could cultivate? Gretchen Rubin is one of the most charming and erudite authors of her generation. Here, she uses her gifts to help you eat right, sleep well, stop procrastinating and start enjoying all that life has to offer. * Susan Cain, bestselling author of QUIET: THE POWER OF INTROVERTS IN A WORLD THAT CAN'T STOP TALKING * brilliantly addictive, fascinating and transformational * Cathy Rentzenbrink, The Bookseller * If you need a helping hand to make over your bad habits, American self-help author Gretchen Rubin is your woman. Better Than Before is full of practical advice and strategies on how to build healthier and happier ways of living that last * Good Housekeeping * Just read this book... It's about the psychology of habit and is an addictive and pleasing read (even for someone who is in the habit of reading a lot of such books about, er, changing habits). I strongly recommend it if you are looking to make some permanent changes in your life... It's excellent * Viv Groskop * This book struck a nerve. It basically is the book "How to Get Up and Get Dressed," but it works... Once I came to understand habits as harnessing our own laziness - making a habit frees you from decision-making, which you can use to your advantage - my relationship to them changed permanently * New Yorker * Rubin's book is about liberating yourself from destructive habits...she is realistic, saying that no one-size-fits-all solution exists * Evening Standard * This takes on every unhelpful habit you've ever had at home or at work and shows you how you can fix it. A life-changer. I more or less lost three stone as a result of reading this book. And it changed completely how I process email which has saved me thousands of hours. A revelation. -- Viv Groskop * The Pool * Gretchen Rubin's thesis is fascinating, persuasive * Guardian * A lot of us would like a Rubin in our lives * The Times Magazine *

'A LOT OF US WOULD LIKE A RUBIN IN OUR LIVES' The Times 'EXTRAORDINARY' Viv Groskop 'FASCINATING, PERSUASIVE' Guardian 'A LIFE-CHANGER' The Pool HABITS ARE THE INVISIBLE ARCHITECTURE OF EVERYDAY LIFE. Most of us have a habit we'd like to change, and there's no shortage of expert advice. But as we all know from tough experience, there is no magic 'one-size-fits-all' solution for everything from weight loss to personal organisation. In Better Than Before, Gretchen Rubin explores her theory of 'The Four Tendencies' dividing people into four basic groups: Upholder, Obliger, Questioner and Rebel. She answers the most perplexing questions about habits with her signature mix of rigorous research and engaging storytelling (and a personality quiz to establish which of the Four Tendencies fits you): - Why do we find it tough to create a habit for something we love to do? - How can we keep our healthy habits when we're surrounded by temptations? - How can we help someone else change a habit? Rubin reveals the true secret to habit change: first, we must know ourselves. When we shape our habits to suit ourselves, we can find success- even if we've failed before. Whether you want to eat more healthfully, stop checking your phone, or finish a project, the invaluable ideas in Better Than Before will start you working on your own habits - even before you've finished the book. ALSO BY GRETCHEN RUBIN The Four Tendencies: the indispensable personality profiles that reveal how to make your life better AND Outer Order Inner Calm: declutter and organize to make more room for happiness AND Happier At Home: a year-long experiment in making the everyday extraordinary